Starting device for automobile and other engines.



A. G. WILLARD. STARTING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE AND OTHER ENGINES.

1 NPPLIOATION FILED JULY 13, ,1906, 932,735.

' Patented Aug. 31, 1909 To all whom it may mam.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, ARTHUR e. WILLARD, or BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

s'rnnrrne DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE AND OTHER ENGINES.

Application filed July 13, 1906. Serial No. 326,120.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR GQWILLARD,

a citizen of the United States, residing'at Bakersfield, in the county of Kern and State of California, have invented a new and useful. Starting Device for Automobile andother Engines, of which the following is a specification.

It is oneof the objects ofthis invention to provide automatic means for starting an internal :ombnstion engine for automobiles and the lke, and to make power stored from the engine available for starting the engine a number 'of times without renewing the stored power. p Other objects and advantages may appear from the ubjoined detailed description.

The invention may be embodied in different forms, and I shall show the form I at present deem most, desirable; but I do not limit'the invention to theform herein shown.

is wound.

The accompanying drawingsillust'rate the invention v Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating theinvention. as the same may be applied for use. with an automobile or other englne.

Parts are broken-away to expose arts that would otherwise not be shown. ig. 2 is a plan, parts being broken away to show interior construction. ,Fig. 3is a view from the left of Figs. 1 and 2, as indicated by the arrow ata' m Fig. 2, parts being broken" away to show interior construction. Fig. 4 IS a section on line 417%, Fig. 2, with partition removed toshow the detentsmore clearly.

Thespri-ng is shown unwound. The other views sh'ow the parts in p .ition when spring 1 designates the power shaft driven by ,an engine, not shown. 2, a wheel mounted to rotate thereo'nin. one direction only relative to the shaft, -3, a clutch rotatably mounted on the shaft to engage the wheel. 4, a spring connection between, the wheel and clutch for causing relative rotation between the same.

5.,1n 1a general way indicates means for temporarily holding the wheel from turning,

and 6 in ageneral way designates meansv to'simultaneonsly release theclutch and to holdv the same from turning. The wheel2 may be a fly-wheel, ormay be connected withor independent of the' fly-wheel, and the means for temporarily holding the wheel from turningmay be the ordinary friction brake fo1;. stoppi ng themachine.

The clutch means may comprise a sleeve mounted to rotate on and slide along the shaft and adapted to engage to rotate with the wheel when the sleeve is slid in one direct on, and to disengage the wheel to al- .'l()W the same to rotate freely when the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

may comprise ratchet-teeth 10 and dogs 11, Y

the one being on the rim 12 of the Wheel and the other on the internal portion 13 which is fixed bya pin 14 to the shaft and rotates therewith whenever the shaft rotates.

15 is a cam fixed on and rotating with the shaft and adapted to engage the clutch means to'move the same'into engaging position whenever the shaft rotates relative to the clutch meanswhen said clutch means Y are out of operative position.

16 is a cam on the clutch means 3 to be.

engaged by thecam 15 for sliding the clutch means 3 into engagement with its detent 17 which is fixed to the fixed portion '13 of the wheel.

18 is a ratchet on the fixed portion13 of the wheel, and 19 a dog on the loose rim 12 to which'one end of spring iis fastened. The coils of spring 4 when unwound engage a portion, as pin 20 of the dog 19, to

withdraw said dog from the ratchet 18 until the spring is again wound up snfiicie'ntly to allow-the dog 19 to engage the ratchet 18, whereupon the further winding of the spring willbe prevented as the loose rim 12 can no longer rotate relative to the fixed portion 13 of-the wheel. As shown in Fig. 3, the,

dogs 11 and 19 do not engage their ratchets simultaneously. Play is provided. so that,

one dog can be disengaged while the other is engaged. The ratchet teeth 18 are reverse to the ratchet teeth 10 so that they prevent the, relative rotation between the parts in the direction in which the teeth 10 allow such rotation. g Y

,, In practical use, the engine not shown rotating in the direction of the curved arrow in Fig. 1, constantly drives the cam 15 and the fixed portion 13 of the wheel 2. The cam 15 engaging its counterpart 16 will cause the clutch means 3 to move into clutch engagement with the clutch part 17 sothat the clutch means and the counterpart move together. When the brake means are applied to hold the rim 12 partially or wholly stationary relativeto the rotating shaft 1, the spring is wound until the dog 19, being forced by its spring 21, engages the teeth 18 and thereupon the stress is directly from the rim 12 to the shaft through the dog 19 positionof the spring.

and teeth 18. The spring thus wound will remain wound until the clutch means 3 are disengaged. The wheel 2 is now practically a solid wheel, and the brake means -can be.

applied from time to time t o.stop the machine withoutinterference with or change of When the engine has been stopped and it is desired to startit again, the operator will move the lever -7 to cause the detent 8 to engage the ratchet 9, and to slip tliecluteh means toward the cam 15.. When the clutch means has come into position to engage with t the cam 15 it becomes released from its cam 15 to return the clutch means 3 into engagement at the completion of one revolution of the shaft. The spring thus wound acts to'rotate the shaft once, the momentum of the parts being dependednpon to carry the engine into operation. In case the engine "should fail to ignite at the first operation,

the operation may be repeated a number of times. until the spring is rundown. \Vhenever the brake isapplied, the springis again wound so that thereis constantly a storedforce at the command of the-operator for starting the engine into operation. VVhen-- ever the springis wound the dog 19 engages to take the driving strain off thefspring, The disengagement of the clutch means 3 is accomplished by moving the lever 7. causing the detent 8 to engage the ratchet teeth 9 and to move the clutch means 3 toward the cam 15 which engages to rotate the shaft.

22 designates the frame .of an auto on which the device may be mounted. The" spring 4 holds clutch 3 normally in engagement with its counterpart 17 In the construction shown,-the tendencyof the spring 4- is to hold the clutching means 31 in e igagement with the detent 17, but the resiliency of the spring allows the member 3 to slide along the shaft sufficiently to release said detent; but immediately upon the release'of the lever 7 the spring again operates to throw the clutch into engagement, thus assisting the positive action of the cam 15 on the cam 16. r

\Vhat I claim is 1. A shaft, a wheel niollnted meththereon inone. directiononly relative to the shaft, clutch means rotatably mounted on the shaft to engage the wheel, a spring connection between the wheel and the clutch means, a brake for temporarily holding the wheel from turning, the clutch 'inean's, and a lever for simultaneously releasing the clutch means from the wheel and engaging the teeth to ,hold the clutch meansfromrotating. V 2. A shaft, a wheelmounted to rotate a toothed wheel nponthereon in-onedirection oiilyrelative toi the i shaft. clutch means rotatably mounted on" the shaft to engage the wheel, a spring con-' nection between the wheel and clu tcli nieans,

means for temporarily holding the 'wheel from turning, ineansto simultaneously release thefc'lutch means and hold the same from turning,'and-ineans operated by the shaft for returning the clutch means into en'- gageme'nt'witli the wheel. I i

u. A haft',- awheel mounted to. rotatc' thereon in one direction only relative to the shaft; clutch means mounted to rotate on and slide alongthe shaft and providcrlhvith a ItitCllet,' LOtI-IDUZQII the shaft to move, the clutch means into engagement with the Wheel, and a deveic provided with .tdetent-aring and to-move the same into position who engaged by-the cam.

\ heft, a wheelimou nted to-iot'a'te thereon, clutch means rotatably mounted on rangedto hold/the clutch means from t'urni theshaftto engage the wheel, aclocl -spi'ii1g connection between the wheeland the clutch means, a ratchet connection betwcefithe shaft and thewheel .to allow the wlieel to'rotate in onedireetion only, saidspringbei'ng wheel from turning, .a toothed wheel upon the clutch means, and a leverfo'r s multaneously releasingtlie clutchmeans and en aging the teeth of thetoothed wheel to lioldtheclutch meansagainst,i'otation. i

5. A shaft, wheel mounted to rotate thereon -in onedirection only relative to the shaft, clutehimeans rotatably mounted on the shaftto engage the wheel, a springconnection. between the. wheel and 'tlxe" cl11tch ineans a brake for the wheel, and al'ever' to hold tlie'saine from turning; In testimony. whereof, I havehereunto*set my hand at Los Angeles Californu'uthis 7th sin'mltaneonslva'elcase the clutch incansand day of Ju1Iya190G.

a rranged torelease theratchet connection as the spring unwinds; a brake for holding the. 

